Apple sold 60 million iPhone apps, confirms kill switch

Steve Jobs told Wall Street Journal that iPhone users have already downloaded more than 60 million applications for the iPhone. A large part of these programs are freeware but Jobs says Apple has been selling an average of $1 million a day in applications since the application store went online a month ago. Apple has gained more than $30 million in iPhone apps revenue and about $21 million flowed back to developers, with the top 10 developers earning roughly $9 million.

If sales stay at the current pace, Apple stands to reap at least $360 million a year in new revenue from the App Store, Mr. Jobs said. "This thing's going to crest a half a billion, soon," he added. "Who knows, maybe it will be a $1 billion marketplace at some point in time."

"I've never seen anything like this in my career for software," he said.

During the interview Jobs also confirmed that the iPhone can call back home and that it has a "kill switch" to remove unauthorized programs:

Apple raised hackles in computer-privacy and security circles when an independent engineer discovered code inside the iPhone that suggested iPhones routinely check an Apple Web site that could, in theory trigger the removal of the undesirable software from the devices.

Mr. Jobs confirmed such a capability exists, but argued that Apple needs it in case it inadvertently allows a malicious program -- one that stole users' personal data, for example -- to be distributed to iPhones through the App Store. "Hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull," he says.